Blacksmithing

Blacksmithing

This workshop offers hands-on skill development in the ancient craft of blacksmithing. Making virtually anything that was made out of iron or steel prior to the age of mass production is fair game to the latter-day blacksmith.

On the first day, participants are brought into the experience of the blacksmith shop by learning to light the forge and by practicing hammering skills as a way to get a feel for the primary tools in our creative arsenal.

As you build your skills, you can undertake production of small forged objects which require mastery of a number of different techniques. You then move on to design more challenging projects that are appropriate to your developing skill level, your ambitions, and your desire to work at the forge. Projects include everything from hearthside tools to medieval armor or forged-steel sculptures as pure expression in metal.

Faculty: Roger Ballou

Roger gravitated to blacksmithing as a creative medium and as a way of experiencing the material culture of earlier time periods. After five years working as a demonstrating blacksmith in a living history museum, Roger opened his own business, making everything from small gift-shop items to large architectural pieces. His ironwork can be seen in the movies The Scarlet Letter and Killian's Chronicle.